Bloody Pirates!
by AJ McLeod
Summary: Pirate AU in which Kai, Thorne, and Wolf sail the open sea. Pirate Captain Cinder gives Kai an ultimatum to sacrifice a member of his crew in order to save the rest. Will he give in to her demands or resign the crew to a watery grave? Additional author's note: If you don't want to read about your favorite characters possibly being pirates turn away now. Ye be warned.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, let's try this again. Sorry about the mix up. So here we have a new story. It was inspired by a writing prompt from The-Modern-Typewriter on Tumblr, it has been used with permission. Again a warning the story does contain a character death and very little romance, ye have been warned. Please don't fill up my inbox telling me just how horrible of a person I am. Part of this was used as a writing exercise for myself to work on writing non-romance geared stories and to also see if I could kill off a character and not make it utterly cheesy. Anyway, on with the story!

* * *

Kai had always been a rule follower. Even as a child, when his classmates acted like little terrors, he sat quietly and did as he was told. He couldn't explain why it was so ingrained in him, it just was.

The day he disobeyed the Navy captain's command was a momentous day indeed. The captain had been a despot from the minute the sails were unfurled, and it really shouldn't have come as any shock when the whole crew mutinied. Something broke inside Kai that day.

That had been ages ago, and since then Kai had become a notorious pirate, Captain of the _Imperial Dream_. He would have liked to say he was as fair as a pirate could get. Mostly they just took a percentage of goods off the ships they stopped.

Now they were under attack. Kai had heard of this particular crew. They'd quickly risen to fame among the pirate brotherhood, mostly due to the fact that the _Luna_ was manned by a crew of women. The captain, going under the name Cinder, was notorious for the peg leg and hook as well as for the precision of her attacks. She knew exactly how to cripple a ship with minimal cannon fire.

"Stand down, men." He shouted looking for something to use as a flag of truce.

"Come again?" Carswell Thorne, Kai's first mate, shot him a look.

"It's the _Luna_ , Thorne. She'll take what she wants no matter how much we fight. And I'd like to leave this encounter with my life, if you don't mind." Kai pulled out a spyglass and looked over at the other crew. Everyone on board was a woman, just like the rumors said.

Grappling hooks descended and hit the deck with a thud.

Cinder pulled her sword from its sheath at her waist. She'd heard tales of the _Imperial Dream_ , she wanted to see the crew for herself. According to the tales she heard, the captain would only rob the ships they caught. But then she'd seen their flag floating among the burning wreckage of an Artemesian ship. Not that she really blamed them for burning the ship and killing the crew. Levana Blackburn was the queen of that little hamlet and she'd experienced first-hand just how cruel her royal navy could be. They were responsible for the fact that she had a prosthetic hand and leg. Honestly, if it hadn't been for her ship's surgeon, a technically gifted individual by the name of Cress, she'd sport the peg leg and hook most pirates did when they lost a limb. She still had no idea how Cress had rigged the hand and leg to move with Cinder's will, but she had … and it came in handy in instances like these where she boarded another ship.

She stepped onto the deck scanned the crew gathered, at least fifty men strong. Kai would ooze with authority, but so far all she saw were a rag tag collection of misfits. Her eyes caught on two men, easily two of the tallest men onboard. Side by side, defiance dominated their posture. _There he is_.

"Captain." She nodded.

"Captain Linh, I presume." His arms remained folded across his chest.

"That's right. I must say I've been looking for you for some time." Her lips twitched into a smirk.

"Your reputation precedes you."

"That is wonderful, and here I thought it was because you just didn't like me." Cinder tapped her blade on Kai's shoulder.

"What do you want? We don't have cargo." A vein in his neck thrummed.

"Perhaps she wants one of our dashing sailors." The dark haired man next to Kai winked.

Cinder scowled at him. Of course he'd think that. She'd learned early on in her career that sailors expected her to bat her eyelashes and wilt at the first sign of hardship. "I could kill you—."

"But you won't." Kai interrupted.

"Won't I?" If there was anything Cinder despised, it was being told what she would and would not do.

"No, if the tales I've heard about you are true, you are not without mercy."

"He's right. Actually, why don't you let us go?" The man beside Kai winked. "We can spread the word about how we barely escaped with our lives." His flirty expression infuriated her.

"I'll tell you what." A smirk played on Cinder's lips as she poked Kai in the chest. "Choose one member of your crew to take a flogging, and I'll spare one member for every lash they take."

Kai's face turned pale. "I'll do it—"

"No, no, that wasn't part of the deal." Cinder's smile broadened. "Pick someone else or I'll kill them all."

Kai shuddered as he cast a glance around at the men gathered around them. His mouth opened and closed like a fish. She had him. He wouldn't be able to pick a crewman to take the fall for all of them. He turned back to her, panic in his eyes.

She raised her hand, ready to signal Scarlet to open fire.

* * *

He couldn't do it. There was no way he could condemn one of the loyal sailors around him to be flogged to save his own skin. Captain Linh raised her hand … he was going to die with his men.

"I'll do it." Next to him, Thorne's voice broke the silence.

"What are you doing?" Kai hissed.

"How disgustingly heroic of you." She folded her arms. "Why would you volunteer?"

"Because I'm quite attached to being alive, and I'd like to stay that way. You said you'd kill us all if Kai didn't offer someone up. So I'm offering myself." He folded his arms over his chest, mirroring her stance. Captain Linh narrowed her eyes before she turned to the ship at her back.

"Iko!" She barked.

"Yes Captain?" A dark skinned woman with blue braids scurried over the plank between ships. The two women conferred in hushed tones for a moment before the captain turned back to them. She bound their hands behind them. "You two and your tall friend over there follow me."

Kai could understand why she wanted him and Thorne, but Ze'ev? Where was the logic in that?

He moved closer to Thorne once they were on Cinder's ship. "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking exactly what I said. You wouldn't have been able to pick anyone out to sacrifice. And I quite like being alive. Yeah this is gonna hurt like hell, but it won't kill me." Thorne kept his eyes on the horizon.

He shook a lock of dark hair out of his eyes. "You're an idiot."

"Yeah, I know. You don't think she's gonna make Ze'ev use the cat, do you?" If the two men hadn't known each other as long as they had, Kai wouldn't have thought much of it. But this was Thorne, the set jaw and the stoic look on his face belied how worried he was.

"I don't know, for your sake, I hope not." He knew Thorne could handle most things thrown his way. However Ze'ev was 6'4" of pure muscle. He made a fantastic bo'sun, and he usually handled doling out punishments at sea. If Captain Linh made Ze'ev take the cat, Thorne didn't stand a chance.


	2. Chapter 2

And here we have chapter 2. I really hope you guys like it. What was originally supposed to be a one shot turned into something a bit longer. As always please leave a review as constructive criticism is always helpful.

* * *

Thorne had long dreamt of being on a ship full of women. Of course in his dreams, he wasn't on the ship with Kai or Wolf. The women also weren't set on ripping his back open either. He still didn't know what possessed him to open his mouth. Maybe it was the way she'd threatened to kill them all if someone didn't take the fall. Or maybe he'd been sailing with Kai too long, and the captain's innate nobility had rubbed off on him along the way. Whatever it was, Thorne was kicking himself.

The girl—woman—the captain talked to earlier was small, but she kicked Kai and Wolf in the backs of their knees, forcing them to kneel on the deck. "You" She pointed at Thorne. "Over there."

He swallowed past the lump rising in his throat. Lashed to the mast then, he had been hoping for the grate so that when he gave out he could have some dignity. He stopped next to the wooden beam trying to steady his breathing.

"Shirt." Iko held out her hand. "Unless you want blood on it."

Thorne pulled the fabric over his head. The sun warmed his skin and when he felt the spray off the ocean, he stifled a groan.

A red-haired woman tied his hands around the mast.

"Stars above did you have to tie them so tight?"

She gave another tug for good measure. _Bloody pirate_.

The captain paced the deck behind him, her uneven gait a clear marker of who it was. "Scarlet, await my orders on the other ship, see how many lives our hero saves." She trailed a finger over his shoulders.

"Just get this over with, please?" Thorne pleaded. Long dramatic buildups got on his nerves.

"Since you asked so nicely." The Captain whispered in his ear. She turned around presumably to face everyone gathered to watch. "You, name."

"Z-Ze'ev Kesley, ma'am."

Stars, of course she'd get him to do it. He'd be out of commission for a while, that was for sure.

"Ze'ev, you'll do the honors. And mark my words if you hold back, you'll facing the cat yourself."

"Wait!" Kai shouted. "I'm not the captain, he is."

Thorne heard a grunt and a thud. "Thanks for the promotion, Kai." He took a deep breath as Wolf made a couple of test swings. He thought he could handle it.

He was wrong.

* * *

Kai hadn't expected the Luna's diminutive first mate to pack such a punch. When Cinder put the cat o' nine tails in Wolf's hand, his heart just about leapt into his throat. At that moment he would have done anything to spare his friend. Thorne had always wanted his own ship, in fact they'd talked about starting their own pirate fleet, and Commodore did have a nice ring to it. In fact, Wolf had been calling Thorne "Captain" as a joke for years. But watching Cinder's crew stand around and just watch as they tied Thorne to the mast was too much. Before the logical side of his brain could kick in, he blurted out that Thorne was the captain. Cinder, obviously, didn't believe him. Why should she? Everyone knew he was the captain of the _Imperial Dream_.

He shouldn't have been surprised when Iko punched him, but he was. He vaguely heard Thorne call "thanks" while Wolf swung the cat through the air.

He had to hand it to Thorne, he lasted longer than Kai would have. He had to keep himself from heaving the remains of his breakfast all over the deck when the lash struck Thorne's back.

When Thorne's knees finally gave way, Cinder crouched next to Kai. "Honestly, I'm surprised he made it that long. True to my word, I'll spare your crew, since he took all fifty. But you three will remain here."

"As your prisoners?" Kai glared up at her.

"You could join the crew. Not as officers, but we could always use a few able bodied men around."

"What about the rest of my crew?"

Cinder grabbed a handful of hair and tilted his head back. "I've kept my word and won't kill them. That should be satisfaction enough for you." She stood up and turned to Iko. "Take him to the brig. Put Ze'ev in with the rest of the crew."

"What about him?" Iko nodded to Thorne who was slumped against the mast.

"Have Cress see to him."

"Aye, Captain." Iko chirped while hauling Kai to his feet.

"What is she going to do with my crew?"

Iko shrugged. "Probably set them adrift. That's what we usually do."

At least that was better than killing them. It might take them a while to find land, but they had plenty of provisions as long as the weather held.

* * *

Cress had been below deck tending to one of their sick crew members when the prisoners had been brought on board. In fact, she hadn't even realized she had another patient until she was called to Cinder's quarters.

She opened the door to her surgery to find a man lying unconscious and prone on the table. Judging from the state of his back, her work was cut out for her. The wounds were deep, much deeper than Scarlet could have inflicted.

She sighed and picked up supplies to clean the lacerations with. "Cinder what did you do?"

There wasn't enough skin left to put stitches in, so she was going to have to just keep it wrapped and clean. However, that presented a problem, he was easily a foot taller than she was and she knew she wouldn't be able to move him on her own. She didn't want to risk him moving while she was getting help, so she settled for draping a makeshift bandage over him for the time being.

She busied herself around the small room, making sure that she stayed close by for when he woke up. Thankfully, she didn't have to wait too long. Cress was checking her inventory of medicines when she heard him groan. Figuring he'd try to move, she was at his side in a heartbeat.

"Easy there." She placed her hands on his arms, noticing just how muscular they were.

"Ow. Aces, I forgot how much that hurt." His voice was muffled.

"Well, it's probably going to hurt worse before we're done. I still need to wrap them."

He moved his arms to lift himself off the table, eliciting yet another groan. "Let me sit up then."

"You can lay right there until I get back. I need someone to hold you upright and still while I work." Cress narrowed her eyes at him, not that he could see her.

"If you can find Wol-Ze'ev Kesley, he'd be a good choice."

"I'll see what I can do. Don't move until I say so."

"Yes ma'am." He turned his head to wink at her. Stars, his eyes were gorgeous. They were the color of the sky on a cloudless day. Cress' breath caught in her throat. Her cheeks grew warm with a blush. She rushed out of the surgery to find Ze'ev Kesley and hopefully calm herself down before she came back.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry guys, life got kinda busy there. Thank you to everyone who is following this. I will say, don't get your hopes too high for more cresswell content...there isn't much, or really any in this chapter. While they are my favorite ship, this is a more a writing exercise for me than anything else. And to the lovely guest who was upset because they're all pirates...it states in the description that it is a Pirate AU. I don't mind reviews and I can take criticism, however please be aware that leaving a review that tells the author that it's a horrible story because they had a little imagination to put the characters in a different setting is not helpful. No one is forcing you to read it.

* * *

Chapter 3

Kai still wasn't sure how it had happened, but somehow over the last month Ze'ev, Thorne, and himself had been assimilated into the _Luna_ 's crew. They were usually the first over on boarding parties, mostly because of Ze'ev's bulk was intimidating.

Despite his initial thought of Cinder, she was at least decent to her crew, which was more than he could say for some naval captains he knew. She'd impressed him with her willingness to jump in and help when all hands were needed. That she did it with prosthesis was even more impressive. When she'd first let him out of the brig, he'd been less than happy about being there, but he'd found his sea legs again.

He'd drawn the short straw and was on the overnight watch. He propped himself up against the mast and did his best not to fall asleep. Though since winter was setting in, there was a chill in the air that made sleep remain out of reach. A bird called from up in the crow's nest just before a figure landed on the deck with the grace of a dancer. Kai recognized her as Winter, and though he wasn't sure how, he knew she was related to Cinder. Her dark skin made her the ideal person to keep watch at night. There was no denying she was beautiful. Even the three parallel scars running down her cheek, a gift from the Artemisian Queen, didn't detract from her beauty.

"There's a ship approaching." Her voice had an ethereal quality to it, almost like she was singing instead of talking.

"Could you see a flag?" Kai asked standing up straight.

It was hard to see what she did in the dark, but she was quiet for a moment. "Artemisia."

Kai's heart clenched. "Get back up in the crow's nest and keep an eye on them."

Winter nodded and scurried back up the rigging.

He raced to the wheelhouse where Scarlet, the officer of the watch, was stationed. "Alert the Captain, an Artemisian ship was spotted."

"Who spotted it?"

"Winter …" Kai bit back a growl. _Why isn't she waking Cinder?_

"Winter sees a lot of things that aren't there." Scarlet folded her arms.

"Listen, and you'll hear them." Kai hissed, he was trying to be a good sailor and follow orders, but Scarlet was pushing her luck.

"Get back to your post sailor." She stared him down.

Kai growled and stormed back amidships. He could hear the Artemisian vessel, they weren't making any effort to hide their approach. _We'll be attacked and it'll be too late because Scarlet won't tell Cinder!_ He set his jaw, if Artemisia wanted a fight, they were going to get it.

Being yanked from a dream of white sand beaches and beautiful women fawning over him, was not high on Thorne's list of enjoyable things. It ranked only slightly higher than scrubbing the deck. But Kai had looked desperate, and Thorne was a sucker for bucking rules. So, when his captain had suggested they attack an Artemisian ship, Thorne was immediately awake and ready to go.

"You realize we'll be keelhauled for this, right?" Thorne crouched next to Kai and Ze'ev along the gunwale.

"Here's hoping she'll be too busy thanking us for saving her skin." Ze'ev grunted.

"Don't hide how you really feel." Kai shook his head.

Thorne nudged Ze'ev in the side. "He's just mad cause Scarlet won't give him the time of day."

"Shut it, Thorne."

"Let's go before someone, including Scarlet, notices that we're missing." Kai pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Cap's right, come on." Thorne grinned slipping over the side of the ship to the water below. The plan was to row to the Artemisian ship and overpower the crew, or at least raise enough of a ruckus that the _Luna_ would take notice.

The plan was going great, until they boarded the other ship where the crew was waiting for them.

White fabric filled Kai's vision when he, Thorne and Ze'ev were dropped on _AR Prime_ 's deck.

"Wake the queen, she'll want to see this." A woman with black hair nodded to a nearby soldier.

"Great plan." Thorne hissed situating himself on his knees.

Kai narrowed his eyes. "I wasn't expecting them to be alert and waiting for us."

"Silence!" The woman grabbed a fist full of Kai's hair, tilting his head back.

A door opened, bathing the worn deck in yellow light. Someone, Kai assumed it must be the queen, walked toward them. Their steps pounded a hurried rhythm against the planks. They stopped just out of Kai's eye line. "What is so urgent Sybil?"

"We found some pirates trying to sneak aboard, My Queen." Sybil's hand tightened in Kai's hair.

 _Stars, if she pulls any harder she's going to yank it out by the root!_

The queen moved closer to the three sailors. "Is that so, and just who are they?"

"The former Captain, First Mate and Bo's'n of the _Imperial Dream_."

Thorne snorted. "You seem to know an awful lot about us."

"I make it my business to know thieves who prey on my people." The queen stepped in front of Thorne. She hooked a finger under his chin, tilting his head back so he could look at her. "And for men who kidnap my soldiers."

"You're crazy, we don't kidnap people." Thorne shook her off.

If Kai had been able to reach Thorne, he would have kicked his first mate. They didn't kidnap people, however when the _Imperial Dream_ had attacked _RM-9_ several years ago, they'd found Ze'ev who was desperate to leave Artemisia and her psychotic queen behind. That particular attack had been a bloody one, none of the Artemisian sailors would give up without a fight and as a result they'd been slaughtered. Thorne had been the one to find Ze'ev below deck guarding the cargo.

The queen stepped back and moved down the line. "For years your poor family thought you died that day. Imagine how their hearts will break when they see you've been living as a pirate all these years."

"Better to be a pirate than your slave, Levana." He spat, the low timbre of his voice reminding Kai why they called him Wolf.

"What shall we do with them, my queen?" Sybil asked pulling Kai's neck further back, to the point that it was about to snap.

"Put them in the brig for now while we discuss who is going to deliver the message to my niece that her game is over."


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys...I live! I'm really sorry about the unplanned hiatus. When I started writing this I had a job, then I got laid off and was unemployed for a month, then I got a new job at a library and needless to say...libraries are crazy during the summer. I've also been working hard on school and the original fiction that I write so I haven't gotten back to this story. Anyway, that being said...Shout out to for messaging me and asking for more...even if it was three months later. So remember that character death I warned you about in chapter 1? Yeah, this is where it happens. Word of warning now so that no one gets triggered at the end. Love you all and thank you for sticking with me. As always, please don't flame. Any and all flames will be used to warm up my home cause it's currently freezing.

* * *

Cinder paced the quarter deck. She was already angry about being pulled from the precious little sleep she got, and then to find out that Kai, Thorne and Wolf had snuck overboard. Now, she was livid.

"When did they leave?" She snapped at Scarlet who stood at the helm with her arms folded.

"I don't know, Cinder. I told Kai to get back to his post. He disappeared, next thing I know Winter is scrambling down the mast talking about a ship in the distance."

Cinder bit back a growl of irritation, it was going to be a long night. "All hands on deck, I want to be sure we can fend off an attack if need be."

"Aye, Captain." Scarlet nodded.

One of the crew members stepped up to take the helm while her first mate disappeared below deck to rally the crew.

"Cinder, there's a boat rowing up next to us." Iko scurried to Cinder's side.

She set her jaw. "Who?"

"Queen Levana's aide, Aimery Park. He's requesting permission to come aboard."

A shudder of revulsion passed over Cinder. Aimery was her aunt's most devoted lapdog, always ready to jump in and do Levana's bidding. "Grant permission, but keep weapons trained on him."

Iko left her side giving instructions on the way to keep Aimery in sight. She'd heard the superstitions among sailors that it was bad luck to have a woman onboard a ship. She was starting to believe the opposite was true. She'd had no end of trouble ever since she brought those men on.

 _I should have just let them drift along with the rest of their crew._

Aimery bowed when he set food on deck. "Captain Linh, good to see you again." His voice was still as honey smooth as it was the day she left Artemisia for good.

"Aimery … what do you want?" She planted her feet in a wide stance to make her slight frame look more intimidating.

He tucked his hands into the sleeves of his coat. "We found some stowaways on our ship, I'm sure you'd like to have them back."

"Then why didn't you send them over, so we could be done with it?"

"My queen would like to speak with you."

"I would like proof that I'm not walking into a trap." Cinder narrowed her eyes at the man.

His face twisted into a smug expression. "Her Majesty thought as much and would invite you to look through your spyglass."

Cinder looked out over the water. The darkness did little to help her see. Aimery's hands on hers pointed her in the right direction. Sure enough, Kai and Thorne knelt before Levana, both with knives held to their throats.

She lowered her spyglass. "I swear to you, if you harm them in any way you will not make it back to Artemisia alive."

"Of course not. Shall we?"

Cinder wanted to shove her prosthetic hand down his throat, but she took a deep breath and steadied herself. "Iko, with me. Scarlet, if we're not back by sunrise, initiate operation Lunar Gift."

Scarlet nodded as Cinder and Iko moved toward Aimery's boat.

Thorne hung his head. _This is it. I'm going to die at the age of twenty, because I follow my friends._

He'd never shied away from challenging authority. The only reason he followed Kai's orders for so long is because his captain had a good head on his shoulders. Now, he wasn't so sure he'd made the right choice.

The queen's aide boarded the ship, followed by Cinder and Iko. Cinder shook her head at Kai, disappointment in her eyes.

"If that's her thanking us for saving her skin, I don't want to see her angry." Thorne muttered.

"Thanks … such a help. _Captain_." Kai nearly growled.

"You were serious about that promotion?"

"What? No, just—" Kai let out a breath. "Shut it, Thorne."

The women followed the queen into one of the cabins on the main deck. Thorne's knees hurt. It had to be well into the middle watch by now. Granted, he was supposed to be on duty, but there wasn't anything he could do about that now. Still they were forced to wait.

Time passed and neither the queen nor Cinder appeared on deck again. The horizon lightened, pale pink at first but growing brighter as the sun climbed. Once the sun was fully in the sky, a shout rang out from the _Luna_.

"What was that?" The knife at Thorne's throat cut into his skin.

"No idea. But I have a feeling that it won't end well for Artemisia."

The _Luna_ moved across the water with unrecognizable speed. Soon the crew flooded _AR-Prime_ 's deck and disarmed the crew. Scarlet stormed through the melee to where Thorne and Kai were held, a pistol in each hand.

Thorne closed his eyes, afraid their actions might be worthy of death. Two shots were followed by a thud behind them. _Not dead._ He opened his eyes.

"Of all the stupid, idiotic things to do!" She shouted at Kai as she cut the ropes off his wrists.

Thorne grinned when she moved behind him. "Good to see you too, Scarlet."

"Where is Ze'ev?"

"They took him below deck, no idea where. Cinder is in with the queen."

Scarlet reloaded her pistols, irritation on her face. "Help subdue the rest of Artemisia's crew while I find him."

Thorne and Kai nodded, took the knives from their captors, and jumped into the melee. They cut down any of the royal guard who stood in their way, which ended up at approximately half. Once the guards realized that the _Luna_ 's crew had no qualms about killing them, they were much more cooperative.

Thorne and Kai gathered what remained of _AR-Prime_ 's crew around the mast and tied them there. Scarlet reappeared with Wolf who looked worse for wear. Scarlet was bleeding from a cut on her cheek and had an annoyed expression on her face, but otherwise she looked fine.

"Well, it looks like you two aren't completely useless after all." She nodded.

"Hear that Cap? We're worth something!" Thorne grinned.

Scarlet's face turned the color of her hair. "That's not what I—oh forget it. Still no sign of the Captain?"

Kai shook his head. "Should we try to force their hand?"

"Yes, and the sooner the better. She needs to be stopped … permanently." Wolf growled, glaring at the queen's cabin door.

Thorne shot a look at Kai and Scarlet, who shook her head. What had they done to him? Wolf, despite his intimidating size, was a teddy bear. For him to want to kill someone, they had to have done something terrible.

"Let's get her attention then. Thorne, will you do the honors?" Kai grinned, handing him a belaying pin. It was common practice among the sailing community to warn a captain of impending mutiny by dropping a belaying pin on the roof of their cabin, a task Thorne was all too happy to perform.

"What is the meaning of this?" Levana shrieked as she emerged from her cabin followed by Aimery, Cinder and Iko.

"You're out numbered." Scarlet pulled her pistols out of her belt. "I suggest you surrender."

"Aimery! Kill them!"

A crack echoed across the deck as Aimery slumped to the ground, lifeless.

Wolf stood behind him, a wild look in his eyes. "Your reign is over, Levana."

Cinder folded her arms over her chest, a smile working its way across her face. "What was that about a rag tag bunch of misfits, Auntie?"

"You—you miserable, insignificant, little blight of a person!" Levana reached for Cinder's, her fingers curled into claws.

Scarlet cocked her gun. "Step away from my Captain."

Levana dropped her arms, clearly angry that she was overpowered. "Get off my ship."

"Captain?" Kai asked nodding to Cinder. "What should we do with them?"

"Set them adrift. I will show you mercy, Aunt Levana, where you showed none to me. But, so help me, if you try to overtake us again, I will not be so merciful." Cinder glowered at her. "Wolf, if you'll raise the anchor and meet us back on the _Luna_?"

"I'll give you a hand." Thorne moved to the capstan. Together the two men raised the anchor that would allow _AR-Prime_ to sail away and hopefully forever.

"If I never see another Artemisian ship, it will be all too soon." Wolf grunted as he stepped onto the gangway between the ships.

"I agree. Let's get out of here." Thorne nodded. There was something about the situation that seemed almost too easy. Almost like Levana was letting them win. He shook his head. _You're being paranoid_. That's when he heard it.

Footsteps pounded across the wooden planks of the deck.

Before he could turn, pain blossomed in his side.

His breath caught.

He tried to push the attacker away.

Wolf rushed back to him, prying him away from the person.

His vision swam. Wolf's arm supported him.

Thorne's hand dropped to his side, something stuck out at an odd angle, a knife. He dared a look down, horrified to find a crimson stain spreading across his shirt. His hand closed around the hilt. When it moved, he thought his insides had caught fire.

"Leave it." Wolf ordered, grabbing his hand. "Cress! Help!"

Thorne's knees gave out, black spots swimming in his vision. The movement jostled the knife and another wave of agony washed over him. His eyes shut in an attempt to block everything out.

When he opened them again, Cress looked down on him. Her forehead scrunched from worry.

"What happened?" Her fingers flying as she checked him for other injuries.

"Levana stabbed him when we were leaving the ship." Wolf answered kneeling by Thorne's head.

"That woman has hurt more people—"

Thorne coughed. "She went overboard."

"How do you know that?" Cinder and Kai joined their group, standing over Cress' shoulder.

"I heard a splash."

Why couldn't he catch his breath? It was taking more and more effort to fill his lungs. A spasm racked his body, pulling his knees to his chest.

"Easy Thorne." Cress eased him onto his back. "I need to you to relax, okay?"

"Anything for you gorgeous." He tried to wink at her, but the knife moved and it turned into a grimace. He took as deep a breath as he could manage, which admittedly wasn't much.

"Cinder." Cress' voice sounded small.

Thorne forced his eyes to open. Cress and Cinder stood a distance away. Cress' arms were folded, like she was trying to appear smaller than she already was. Cinder's head was bowed, a hand rubbing her neck. He looked to Kai, who now knelt beside him. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know, exactly, but it's not good." Kai's face was drawn.

Thorne nodded, took a breath, and pulled the knife from his side, groaning as the blade cleared his flesh. He grabbed Kai's hand and held it to his chest. "It's been an honor sailing with you, Captain."

"Don't you dare give up." Kai squeezed Thorne's hand, the bones protesting being squished together.

Thorne coughed. "There's nothing anyone can do to save me."

Kai couldn't believe his ears, Thorne was giving up? He gave Kai's hand one final squeeze, before his grip went slack.

"Thorne, wake up! You bloody idiot!"

Wolf stood to his feet. "He's gone, Kai. We can't bring him back."

Kai stared up at his friend. "Grab his hammock, will you? I need to speak to the captain." As reluctant as he was to leave Thorne's side, there were things to be done.

Cinder and Cress were still deep in conversation when Kai approached. "Captain?"

Cinder looked up from the deck. "Yes?"

"He—He's gone. Wolf went to get his hammock. Would you like to do the honors?"

She laid her hand on his shoulder. "He was your friend. Go ahead. I'll gather the crew."

That evening at sunset, Kai commended Thorne's body to the sea.


	5. Epilogue

What's this two in one day?! Okay so I'm just doing this so I can mark it as complete...and so that I can work on a Ladybug and Cat Noir fanfic that I've started. So, to clear up a little confusing cause I'm sure that the explanation will help. I didn't know how to end this story. I asked a friend of mine in the fandom what I should do...this was kinda the result. I'll put in an author's note at the end just so that there aren't any spoilers.

* * *

After Thorne dropped His Royal Majesticness off at the safe house, he was hit with the strangest feeling. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was exactly, but there was something … a connection between the two of them. It honestly puzzled him so much that when he got back to the _Rampion_ , he went straight to the cockpit so he could think.

"Captain?" Cress knocked on the open door. She was so small and quiet that half the time he didn't even hear her moving around.

"You can come in." He swiveled the seat around to face her. She walked to the co-pilot's seat and sat down, a blush tinted her cheeks pink. "What can I do for you?"

"You looked upset when you got back. Did Kai say something?" She twisted her hands in her lap. Why was she nervous?

"No…he—everything is fine. I just had a sensation of Déjà vu." An image flashed in the back of his mind. Cress standing over him, rubbing a salve into open cuts on his back. She'd blushed easily then, too.

"Déjà vu?" She tilted her head to the side, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Yeah, you know, when you experience something and then it feels like it happens again?" He ran a hand through his hair. He was definitely going to have to bring her up to speed on what happened outside her satellite.

"I know what it is. I was just wondering what you thought happened."

Thorne leaned back in the seat. "Oh. Well, I'm still trying to figure that out myself. But it was like we used to be friends…crew mates even. It sounds dumb out loud."

"I don't think so. I've had the same feeling about Cinder. But it's probably just my imagination." She shrugged.

"Yeah, you're probably right, just my imagination. And we've got a revolution to pull off." He stood and winked at her.

* * *

Okay, so obviously this was the epilogue. It's set at the beginning of _Winter_ when Thorne drops Kai off before returning to the Rampion. I hope it made sense. It was supposed to be that they all knew/encountered each other in the seafairing age and then had moments of a flash back. When this was in beta I had mixed reviews...I gave it to two people in my critique group and they both loved it. They're like me and professional authors. But I gave it to two people in the fandom and they didn't like it, so I don't know. I hope you liked it. So anyway. Please review, it helps authors grow. That being said...if you're going to review and tell the author that something is wrong, please reference what it is. If we don't know, we can't fix it. ALSO, I am aware that it might not be everyone's cup of tea, that's totally cool, we all have different tastes, but if it's not...please refrain from telling the author that it's a horrible story because it's not a genre or a scenario that you like. I'm sure I can speak for everyone on here that we work really hard on these stories and one mean comment can ruin an author's day. So be kind.

Love you guys!

A.J.


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